Chapter 7 Gainz

"Now that you've learned what the system is, we will train and get you your first gains. All students who have Strength as their primary attribute follow Sargeant Zamm. If you have Dexterity as your Primary stat, Follow Sargeant Farhan. Those who have speed as their Primary, stay here with me." Major Payne instructed.

Max could see that his group had easily three-quarters of the students, with quite a few going to the dexterity course. But surprisingly, only Nico is standing with Major Payne. Speed must not be a common stat to have as your Primary.

The strength training station is exactly what Max expected it to be. Free weights, resistance machines, and heavy things to move. Most of those are too much for first-year students, so Max decided to start his usual workout with curls and then try out the full-body resistance trainer. He had never seen such a thing before, and it looked pretty intense.

He found a good spot and began his workout, ignoring the horseplay and chaos around him, much to Sargeant Zamm's delight. Supervising First Year students was seen almost as a punishment detail for many within the instructor corps, and Zamm was no exception.

He trained Cadets in physical and combat skills, while the First Year student typically had zero understanding of either one. Even one student that had an existing workout routine was enough to brighten his day.

The resistance machine was busy with a student trying to understand how it worked, so Max moved on to weighted lunges, carefully watching for the first update notification from his new system.

Across the field from where he was working, Nico and Major Payne seemed to be engaged in some form of a fight with sticks. Max was pretty sure it was a martial art that they were practicing, but the speed they were swinging the wooden rods at each other was more than a little impressive. The pattern was repetitive, he noticed, not testing their talent today, and the fundamental objective was to keep up with your opponent, so you didn't get hit.

His fifty lunges were almost up when Max saw his first gain notification and checked his System interface.

[Compatibility Determined] Rank A

[Primary Attribute] STR 2.5x modifier

[STR] +5%

[DEX] +0%

[SPD]+0%

[Innate Talent] Mind Reading

[Additional Functions Locked]

Being of A Ranked Compatibility, he got a 2% base increase, but his Primary Stat strength modifier bonus put him up to a full 5 percent in a single gain during his first session.

The fancy resistance machine was now available, the previous student had given up on learning it, so Max headed over to give it a try. There were well-worn written instructions on the machine. Step into the harness, press the green button to engage the sizing feature, then begin your workout. The trainer will adjust the resistance as it sees fit, a marvel of high-tech training.

There was an assortment of objects and a VR headset to keep the training interesting, so Max engaged the feed, picked up a racket, and picked a tennis program. There was lots of movement involved in a tennis match, so it should be a good workout.

[Strength Gain]

[STR] +10%

The buzzer signaling the end of the physical training session pulled him back from his virtual tennis match, and Max noticed that his entire body was so sore he could hardly move. Fortunately, Nico waited for him after training and was willing to help him up the stairs.

She wasn't a big person, but his roommate had to practically carry him to the eighth floor where they live after his legs gave out at the first landing.

"You're stronger than you look." Max laughed, doing his best to struggle up the last flight.

"No, I'm just smart enough not to spend two straight hours in a resistance trainer. Plus, with my healing rate, the bruises from playing sticks with Major Payne are almost gone."

Max could see what she meant. Fading bruises were all over her hands and arms from missing a block and getting hit with the bamboo sticks. He's certain it must have been painful to have left such wicked-looking bruises, but Nico didn't appear to mind.

"I hope you got something to make this all worth it. I'm definitely not carrying you again if you didn't at least get one gain." Nico huffed as they finally made the top floor and headed for the dining hall the grab an evening meal.

"Get a Gain? I got two today. With my modifier being Strength, I'll have a much easier time of it tomorrow." Max tried to smile through the exhaustion.

"But I'm setting the timer. How did you make out?"

"Two gains for me as well. Major Payne is an excellent training partner; I don't think I'll do as well if I have to practice alone or with one of the other First Year Cadets."

Nico dropped him in a red plastic cafeteria chair and went to get them something to eat, coming back with bowls of chili and warm bread loaves. A staff member brought them a large jug of ice water, and Max did his best to smile at her so that she wouldn't have a bad impression of him.

"Don't worry, dear. Someone always overdoes it the first day. If you look out the window, some of them haven't even made it back to the building. I can still see them lying in the grass after the Sergeants forced the slackers to exercise."

That made him feel a little better. At least he wasn't the only one who couldn't handle the workout he picked or had picked for him.

By the time they finished eating, Max had begun to recover. The nanobots in his body were working hard to repair the damaged tissue from the workout and implement the changes for his upgrades.

After a system stat upgraded, the effects weren't quite instant. At the lower levels, where the difference between upgrades was more significant, it would take the system time to make the changes, up to an hour in some cases.

The instructors were still carrying recruits up to their rooms when Max crawled into bed, noticing something strange about how Nico used the data screen on the wall. He can't tell what she's browsing, but she's not touching the screen to navigate. Was that a feature of the high-tech device? Or possibly an aspect of her Innate Ability? Max was curious, but exhaustion was getting the better of him, and he couldn't muster the energy to read her mind.